The present invention relates to seat-type furniture in general, and more particularly to sofabeds which can be used as beds in their extended condition, and as sofas in their collapsed condition.
There are already known various constructions of sofabeds of the above type, which can be constructed as armchairs, loveseats or sofas as considered in their collapsed condition, and which are extendable into single or double beds. The present invention is concerned with a particular construction of such a sofabed, but it will be appreciated that the principles disclosed herein can be readily adopted for other sofabed constructions.
A particular problem which is encountered in the conventional convertible sofabed constructions is that, because of the presence of rigid parts of the sofabed frame or support directly below and in contact with the underside of a front edge portion of a seating cushion supported on the sofabed in the collapsed condition of the latter, the presence of such rigid parts will be felt by the user through the front edge portion of the cushion which will be unduly compressed, and will cause the user occupying the sofa pronounced discomfort by pressing against the underside of his or her thighs, interfering with the circulation of blood, and thus causing pain after a prolonged period of sitting on the sofa, if not initially. The unduly compressed cushion is subject to increased wear.
This problem has already been recognized, and it was proposed to support the front edge portion of the cushion on pading and/or springs, especially in conventional, that is, non-convertible sofas. Various examples of such constructions are disclosed, for instance, in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 569,679; 1,326,295; 2,293,964; 2,505,989; 2,624,888; and 2,656,880. However, experience with these known constructions has shown that they still leave much to be desired as far as the user comfort is concerned, so that they did not gain widespread acceptance. A particular problem in convertible sofabeds is the need for a raise tube at the region of the front edge portion of the cushion, the presence of which is felt through the cushion, even if padding and/or springs are being used at this region.